Underpass

 

Face your worst fear as they say. Summit Media comes up with this Graphic Anthology called Underpass and collects 4 original stories from today's great minds like Gerry Alanguilan and Budjette Tan. (It's Summit's take on putting komiks mainstream)

For some strange reason, we like being scared. We Filipinos have this thing for the mythological/paranormal creatures and these 4 short stories will give you that. I think that Budjette Tan is probably the best person to talk to when discussing Aswang, Duwendes, Kapres, Tiyanaks and Manananggal. The writer's brilliant when it comes to these creatures. It's astounding. Gerry Alanguilan has this take on a SIM Card that will make you think twice about using a cellular phone. Hahaha.

I specifically appreciate Summit Media pushing for local komiks. I had a discussion with Gerry Alanguilan about the problem of komiks here in the Philippines. Besides lack of awareness, he told me that distribution was one of the main challenges. I think that he's really the heart and soul of Filipino Komiks today and I really believe in his cause. We have so much talent and people should know about it! So thanks to Summit Media, they're addressing the distribution challenge.

Underpass should be available in your local book store. Look for the Summit Magazine stand! Underpass should be there!!! :) It sells for 175 bucks. Please do check it out!

Miss You Like Crazy

Saw Miss You Like Crazy last night.

It was good. I liked it. I think that Bea and John Lloyd tandem really works. If you saw the trailer, you must know the story already right?

But if you haven't seen it yet, I might have some spoilers up ahead.

The part that was just weird for me was when Allan was already falling in love with Mia. Allan had a girlfriend and he falls in love with the girl after a day. I couldn't get that kilig factor. The guy was cheating so obviously, you really couldn't feel the love.

Noel Trinidad's character of Lolo Uly gave the ending away. You knew that Bea and John Lloyd would end up together with his prediction. That's how Pinoy movies are anyway. It can't end sad because it won't be accepted by majority of the audience. I remember this particular Angel-Richard movie where the ending had to be changed since it had to be happy. (The real story was a tragedy)

Anyway, John Lloyd is an effective actor. I can feel the sadness when he cries. In Close to you, I felt the sadness when Bea said that she and Sam Milby's character were together. "Palits, kami na". John Lloyd pretending to be asleep drops a tear... OUCH!!!

I do enjoy the product insertions in the film. Greenwich was there again. But I didn't see Biogesic... Hmmm...

Miss You Like Crazy is a good movie after the long wait. It's been 3 years since Bea and John Lloyd were together in a movie. Love can wait. The movie says that.

As for me, I think it really can wait. A 21 year old love story? Possible! :)

Tuesdays #2

I was about to put a Tuesday entry last night upon realizing it was a Monday. Now, I forgot what I was going to blog about.

Anyway, I guess what I can tell you now is that I woke up with my heart racing early this morning. Why? I dreamt I was in my Lola's house in Tarlac and I saw dead people. I saw an old helper from my great grandmother's house and that was it. I freaked out in the dream. I couldn't run. Argh. Nightmare.

Boo nightmares.

Oh, here's a tip. Did you know that if you wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream all you have to do is flip your pillow. I promise you that you'll get back to sleep in no time. Promise!!! It works!!!

I don't know if there's a direct relation between being tired and nightmares... Hmmm

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I have never been this tired. Work has been really challenging and the campaign has been tough. You really have to be physically, intellectually, and emotionally prepared. It's hard!!!

But adversity builds character. I'm banking on that. It's the trying times that make us better people.

Oh well, I don't want to start blabbing nonsense. This is it for now. See you next Tuesday!

What? It's just Monday?

My brother had this shirt that said "Bad case of the Mondays" and I thought it was funny everytime he wore it on Mondays.

Who loves Mondays? Back in College, I loved Mondays. I loved being in school and being with friends. Now, weekends are just too short. My analysis is that because you sleep in til 11am or 12nn and basically, half of the day is gone. It's like you just a day off.

I guess it's because you wake up earlier when working plus you fight traffic longer. EDSA is just insane when you leave the house late. Oh, I almost forgot, Sunday nights are the hardest nights to sleep. You can't sleep on a Sunday night. Why? Because you think of the work you have to do the next day.

Anyway, I've been tired this February and I can't wait for it to end... Oh well. Hope the week's good.

Valentine's Day

A message from your friendly-neighborhood, uh... Nope. Just a friendly message to all the guys out there going out on their first dates. :)

Sure it maybe sensationalized and all that. But I have come to realize that many girls take this day very seriously.

So to all the guys, do something special, be on time, smell extra nice, cut your nails, eat mints, give flowers, and chocolate. :)

After that, a soft peck on the cheek. OK NA YUN! GO GO GO!

Tuesdays #1

I used to have a "Tuesdays with Jiggy" habit back in college. I did it for an entire year. But I will plainly call it Tuesdays because I really don't want it to be similar to Morrie.

Anyway, today officially starts the campaign period. It's for 90 days... A long and grueling 90 days... It's a long road and whoever said it was going to be easy?

Last night, we had a small celebration for Tito Noy's birthday. It was just the immediate family and his close friends. After dinner, one of his friends wanted a sharing session for him. It was a round of "I thank you for, I appreciate you for, and my wish for you is..."

What did I say? I thanked Tito Noy for always checking up on his pamangkins whenever the parents are out of town. I thanked him for being that responsible uncle.  I appreciated him for always sharing his barbecue potato chips to whoever wanted to get. I wished that he'd get reasonable sleep during the campaign.

One said that his wish was for this particular bid to end with Tito Noy. He said that my family has gone through enough already with Lolo and Lola. He wished that we could finally live normally after all this. I hope so... I really hope so.

Anyway, I'd like to share with you my thoughts on my Tito Noy's bid. What we're presenting are not false hopes or promises. We are not presenting a make-believe world that can be achieved just like that. It is not temporary joy or happiness. That's totally different.

One man cannot solve everything. Hindi pwede yung "I will take care of you and bring you out of your misery." Look, this is not about one man doing it alone. This is about the people working together with a leader who can bring back trust in the government. We need to have some trust back in our leaders. After all, the leaders are the ones who should serve. But hey, in the words of JFK, ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country! I've stressed it again and again, WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!!! We have to work towards a better future.

To the youth of today, think about it hard... As cliche as it may sound, it's true... Our future is at stake.

To the undecided voter, think about it. Do you want to pay your taxes to a corrupt official? I know I wouldn't. I pray that you make the decision that was well thought.

Tuesday again next week, I'll put down my thoughts :)

Think about the next 12 years...

I'm back. I've been away for a while. I've been stressed and busy. I've been in meetings and discussions. I just needed some time to breathe.

Anyway, I'd like to share a thought that was passed on to me that struck me. For the youth of today, you probably think that choosing the cool one will be awesome. You probably think that the person with better ads is the better choice.

But please allow me to explain something. Failing to choose the right leader will not give us 6 years of more sacrificing. It will give us 12 more years of hardship. Why 12? Think about it hard. If the wrong leader is in position. That's a good 6 years wasted. The next leader in position would then have to clean up the 6 years the previous person messed up. So if you're 18, imagine that when you're 30. Right now, I'm 24 years old and I'll be 36 in 12 years. I would like a family and wherein my family would be safe in a free nation.

Another thing, I have to say this. One man cannot solve all our problems. Presenting something that one will solve everything and take all the pain and hardships away is wrong. I'm telling you, it's not enough for one man. It has to be ALL of us. Each and everyone of us should give our stake for the betterment of the country. It is up to each of us to be better and work with a strong heart towards a better future.

I work hard. I get hard-earned salary. A huge percentage is taxed. I want my taxes to go into the right hands. I want my taxes helping the nation. I don't want my taxes ending up in someone's corrupt pocket.

So please, I'm humbly asking you to think about the next 12 years of your life. What do you plan on doing?

Maalaala Mo Kaya - The Ninoy and Cory Aquino Story

For 2 Saturdays, ABS-CBN showed the story of my grandparents and it was one of those few adaptations that really meant a lot to me. I wanted to see how Bea Alonzo and Piolo Pascual would portray my grandparents. I know that the harder task was to act as my Lolo Ninoy and I think Piolo did good. It's really difficult to pull off impersonating my grandfather but I think Piolo did an awesome job.

Bea on the other hand was superb. Sure Lola's not tisay and all that but Bea somehow showed traits and mannerisms that my Lola would do. That's just my opinion. There were several instances that I really remembered my Lola. I could imagine my Lola's sacrifices for my Lolo and the family. That made me cry because I remembered how genuine of a person my Lola was. That was just part 1! 

Sure the show wasn't 100% accurate since you have to spice up the boring parts for television. I thought it was pretty good. My Mom mentioned that they didn't have a Volkswagen Kombi. My Lolo did well at mahjong though. That's why my great grandmother liked him since he charmed his way in mahjong. 

Last Saturday's episode was the tearjerker. It was all because of my Lola. When they showed clips of my Lola in the end, that was when my tears came down. I didn't get to know my Lolo since he died before I was born. I'm sad when I see clips of August 21. But the clips of August 5 are the ones that get me... 

I was talking to my friends at the office and they also cried. I even got a text saying "grabe naman, kakaiyak naman to..." I'm not sure how many people tuned in but I think a lot did! I have to mention Jodi's performance as Tita Kris, galing! Kuha niya! Hahaha!

But the most important mention I have to put here is my Mom's VO. I think she did a splendid job as a narrator. To add, Tita Kris was coaching my Mom at the ABS studios. :) I'm proud of my Mom! :)

For those who watched the 2 episodes, I hope you got inspired, touched, or moved somehow. My grandparents are my heroes. In the end, they put country before family. It was the sacrifices they made that defined them. They were exceptional people who just wanted to serve... They believed that we Filipinos deserved a home that we can be proud of. They believed that we  Filipinos are worth living, sacrificing, and dying for...